<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54f5d2d969bedddc56d23755-1200-480/dragon-blade-adrien-brody.png" border="0" alt="dragon blade adrien brody"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-MtwolBSk">SFC Film / "Dragon Blade' trailer</a></span></p><p class="caption">Adrien Brody stars in "Dragon Blade," which made over $54 million during its opening weekend in China</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">American blockbusters have found enormous success in China, yet the big winner at the Chinese box office right now is not a "Hunger Games" sequel or the fifth "Tranformers," but instead a homegrown cinematic effort starring Adrien Brody, John Cusack, and Jackie Chan.</span><p>"Dragon Blade" opened in China in mid-February during their New Year&#xa0;to an astounding <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-dragon-blade-777286">$54.8 million</a>.&#xa0;<span>Even though it is&#xa0;</span><a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/intl/china/?yr=2015&amp;wk=9&amp;p=.htm">no longer number one</a><span>&#xa0;at the Chinese box office (that honor now belongs to another Chinese film, "The Man from Macau II"), the historical epic shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>The film contributed to a huge&#xa0;</span><a href="http://deadline.com/2015/03/adrien-brody-china-dragon-blade-china-1201385746/">month</a><span>&#xa0;that saw box office revenues in China <a href="http://deadline.com/2015/03/adrien-brody-china-dragon-blade-china-1201385746/">exceed those in the U.S. for the first time ever</a>.<strong>&#xa0;</strong></span><strong><br /></strong></p><p><span><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54f8bf756bb3f7636c6eb466-1200-600/screen-shot-2015-03-05-at-121420-pm.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2015 03 05 at 12.14.20 PM"><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></strong></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The film was produced on an estimated<strong>&#xa0;</strong></span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3672840/business?ref_=tt_dt_bus">$65 million budget</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. Currently, "Dragon Blade" has grossed <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?id=_fDRAGONBLADE02&amp;country=CH&amp;wk=2015W9&amp;id=_fDRAGONBLADE02&amp;p=.htm">$101.6 million</a> at the Chinese box office to date.<strong>&#xa0;</strong></span></p><p>The film isn't out in the US yet.&#xa0;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">According to&#xa0;</span><a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-dragon-blade-1201440491/">Variety</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, it will eventually be released state side, though no specific release date is available.</span></p><p>Until then, here's what you should know about "Dragon Blade."</p><h3><strong>1. It mixes Chinese and Roman history</strong></h3><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54f9ba8deab8eadb6f7dc2c8-1200-600/cusack-and-child.png" border="0" alt="Cusack and Child"><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">John Cusack co-stars as Lucius.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Dragon Blade" is an historical epic set in Han Dynasty China.&#xa0;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It is loosely based on the true story of a missing legion of Roman soldiers who ended up along China's Silk Road in 48 BCE.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Adrien Brody and John Cusack play rival English-speaking Roman generals Tiberius and Lucius, respectively. Lucius kidnaps Tiberius' younger brother (and heir to the Empire) to save him from death at the hands of his power-hungry older brother. </span><span>Meanwhile, Jackie&#xa0;</span><span>Chan plays a Chinese commander tasked with keeping peace in the unstable Silk Road region.</span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></strong></p><p><span><span></span><a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-dragon-blade-1201440491/">Variety</a><span>&#xa0;compared the film's disregard for history to that of "300," but with more diplomacy and less bloodshed.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The casting of Cusack and Brody is eyebrow raising since both actors have struggled with US box-office success in the past few years. Cusack has been starring in small indie films that aren't big hits, while Brody recently found himself starring alongside Rob Schneider and Lindsay Lohan in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1754811/">"InAPPropriate Comedy,"</a> which barely made an impression during its <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=inappropriatecomedy.htm">short theatrical run</a>. To be fair to Brody, he did have a standout role in last year's Oscar-winning "The Grand Budapest Hotel."&#xa0;</span></p><p>The film is directed by Daniel Lee, who worked his way up the ranks of China and Hong Kong's film industries to eventually write and direct his own movies. He is known for dabbling in&#xa0;<span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxia">wuxia</a>&#xa0;(a genre focused on martial arts) and history<span>, from "14 Blades" to Qin Dynasty set "White Vengeance."</span></p><h3><strong>2. It's one of the most expensive films ever made in China</strong></h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54f9b66269beddb0390b2644-1200-600/screen-shot-2015-03-04-at-35941-pm-2.png" border="0" alt="Screen Shot 2015 03 04 at 3.59.41 PM"><p class="source"><span>World Movie Trailers</span></p><p class="caption">The sweeping shots of armies riding across the desert, may evoke "Lawrence of Arabia," but director Lee wasn't going for a cinematic history lesson.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Dragon Blade" cost an estimated $65 million to produce, making it one of China's most expensive movies.&#xa0;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">For comparison, one of China's biggest movies last year, "Monkey King," </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/monkey-king-look-chinas-biggest-craziest-film-ever-1433082">cost $82 million to make</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. Big blockbusters in the US can cost well <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avengers11.htm">over $200 million</a>.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The film, which was ev</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">entually released in IMAX 3D, had to deal with the challenges of shooting in the </span><a href="http://www.cinema.com.my/articles/Interviews_Details.aspx?search=2015.i_dragonbladefilmed_23241">harsh climate of the Gobi Desert</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.&#xa0;</span></p><p>During a press conference, Chan told <a href="http://www.cinema.com.my/articles/Interviews_Details.aspx?search=2015.i_dragonbladefilmed_23241">Cinema Online</a> the film had 350 crew members and 800 extras. Filming days would go "well past midnight."</p><p><span>Here's how Chan described a typical day on set:</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>Every day, they have to wake up at 2am. By 5am they had to start eating breakfast. By the time they walk to the desert, line up, it's already past 11am. By 12pm it was lunch time. We only got to shoot at 3pm. But we were lucky because the sun only went down at 9pm. We have a very harsh director who made us shoot all the way till 12 midnight.</span></p><h3><strong>3. It's a passion project of Adrien Brody's&#xa0;</strong></h3><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54f894656bb3f79b066eb467-1200-600/adrien-brody-dragon-blade-1.png" border="0" alt="Adrien Brody Dragon Blade"><p class="source"><span>Action Movie Trailers</span></p><p class="caption">"Dragon Blade" has been a passion project for Adrien Brody for many years</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Brody previously worked with Chinese director Xiaogang Feng in 2012's "Back to 1942." Since then, the Oscar winner has had his sights on getting Jackie Chan's attention, <a href="http://deadline.com/2015/03/adrien-brody-china-dragon-blade-china-1201385746/">according to Deadline</a>.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I feel a deep connection to Asia," Brody told <a href="http://deadline.com/2015/03/adrien-brody-china-dragon-blade-china-1201385746/">Deadline</a>. "I've been able to develop close friendships with a core group of extremely talented filmmakers and financiers, who have opened many doors."</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This project has led to Brody suddenly finding himself at the helm of <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-adrien-brody-launches-production-705542">Fable House</a>, a production company who's benefactors include Mr. Chan and other Chinese and Nigerian investors.</span></p><h3><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">4. Jackie Chan has wanted to make this film for a long time</span></strong></h3><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54f89532ecad04581f6eb469-1200-600/jackie-chan-dragon-blade-3.png" border="0" alt="jackie chan dragon blade"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-MtwolBSk">SFC Film / "Dragon Blade' trailer</a></span></p><p class="caption">Jackie Chan helped bring "Dragon Blade" to life.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Seven years ago, I wanted to do this film," Chan told Chinese website M1905, <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jackie-chan-dragon-blade-patriotism-778236">according to The Hollywood Reporter</a>.&#xa0;"I didn't make the film because the government policy wants to protect the Silk Road. I am ahead of them. I hope chairman&#xa0;</span>Xi (Jinping)<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&#xa0;gets to watch this film."</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>Along with a leading role, Chan also served as one of the film's producers. In addition, like with most of his other projects, he did all of his own stunts.</span></span></span></p><p>&#xa0;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The film has been something of a </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-jackie-chan-duang-20150304-story.html">comeback</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> for Chan and has re-established him as an important cultural figure both in mainland China and his homeland of Hong Kong.&#xa0;</span></p><h3><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>What's next for "Dragon Blade"?</strong><br /></span></h3><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The next test is to see how well the film plays outside of China. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Besides Brody and Cusack, the film also has castmembers from England (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6039425/">Kevin Lee</a>), Australia (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1801800/">Sharni Vinson</a>), and South Korea (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2184859/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Si Won Choi</a>), as well as a director (Lee) and star (Chan) from Hong Kong.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The wide appealing cast of stars from around the world shows that the future of the box office may be in embracing the global community at large.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Watch the trailer for the film below:</span></p><div><span style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #222222;">&#xa0;</span><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WC9iTKUCGjQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fashion-trend-china-han-dynasty-hanfu-2014-12">The Latest Fashion Trend In China Is Actually A Throwback To The 2,000-Year-Old Han Dynasty</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ozdWxncjqUIKOwkS9B_ITwbGx8KeqzFj" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'ozdWxncjqUIKOwkS9B_ITwbGx8KeqzFj',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

This movie starring Jackie Chan, Adrien Brody, and John Cusack is huge in China right now

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/580132988e91c6927ff1d4b1-2400" alt="Woman Taking Pill" data-mce-source="Darren Weaver" /><p class="source"><span>Darren Weaver</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>You don't have to take a pill to boost your brain power.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4667098/"><span>a 2015 meta-analysis by Oxford researchers</span></a>, non-pharmacological forms of cognitive enhancement (NPCE) like sleep, exercise, and brain-training appear to do as much to improve cognition as pharmacological ones like modafinil, methylphenidate, and caffeine (also known as PCE).</p><p><span><span>"</span></span><span>Although meta-analyses allowing a quantitative comparison of effectiveness across techniques are lacking to date, we can conclude that PCE is not more effective than NPCE," researchers<span> </span><span><span>Lucius Caviola and Nadira Faber</span></span> write.</span></p><p>On one hand, smart drugs have been shown to increase attention, working memory, speed of processing, and wakefulness, among other positive effects. They typically work by influencing levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline in your brain.</p><p>On the other hand:</p><p>- Good sleep habits seem to improve memory, creativity, and problem-solving speed. Even a six-minute nap has been shown to help.</p><p>- Acute exercise (i.e., brief bouts of high intensity training) has been linked to increased motivation and improvements to memory and speed of learning, with some effects lasting up to 48 hours later. Regular exercise has been linked to improvements in size, blood flow, and connectivity of important parts of the brain, as well as better memory, attention, executive functions, processing speed, and academic performance.</p><p>- Specifically designed computerized training programs have been shown to enhance memory, attention, visual processing speed, and executive function, with effects lasting as long as 3 months. It's generally assumed that other mental challenges, from playing Tetris to learning another language or trying something new, have similar effects. </p><p><span>All of these cognitive enhancers,</span><span><span> Caviola and Faber conclude, have some moderately beneficial effects, which is to say they may help in some situations but won't turn you into Einstein. And again, the natural methods appear to work just as well as the pharmacological.</span></span></p><p>Smart drugs also come with downsides not found in natural drugs. Aside from various potential various potential health risks, they have been shown to impair cognition in some cases.</p><p>Modafinil, for instance, has also been linked to impaired creativity and flexible thinking and overconfidence in judgment. A recent study showed that chess players on smart drugs were <span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/smart-drugs-work-chess-study-2017-2">worse at time management</a>, for example.</span> And it's not uncommon to hear about students taking methylphenidate (e.g., Ritalin) to help them study but getting distracted and spending hours focused on, say, reorganizing their closet.</p><p>This is, of course, not what you'll hear in some online forums devoted to the use of smart drugs. However, Caviola and Faber warn of a broad "overestimation of PCE effectiveness ... paired with an underestimation of potential side-effects."</p><p>It's worth noting too that we may be in early days for research and development of PCE, and it's possible that future studies or new pills will show stronger effects.</p><p>Still, Caviola and Faber note that the effects of cognitive enhancement of any kind seem to be limited, especially for people who are already cognitive high-performers (who might, for instance, already have optimal levels of neurotransmitters in their brain). In other words, sleep, exercise, and training may be all you ever need.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alpha-dog-myth-mistreats-dogs-2017-2">The 'alpha dog' myth is leading countless owners to mistreat their dogs</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FhcGNpOTE6WIqG3Z_mtM86QulBlrVMaQ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'FhcGNpOTE6WIqG3Z_mtM86QulBlrVMaQ',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Sleep and exercise could be as powerful as any 'smart drug'

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555e4213eab8ea1960078c09-891-618/skitch%20hot%20neville.png" border="0" alt="skitch hot neville"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images, Attitude Magazine</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Neville Longbottom is all grown up and JK Rowling has something to say about it.&#xa0;</span><p>Actor Matthew Lewis is best known for his portrayal of Gryffindor dork Neville Longbottom in the "Harry Potter" movies. The much-beloved character was babied by his grandmother and terrified of potions-master Professor Snape.&#xa0;</p><p>But in&#xa0;this month's cover feature for&#xa0;<a href="http://attitude.co.uk/harry-potters-matthew-lewis-is-attitudes-new-cover-guy/">Attitude Magazine</a>, Lewis seems like a different person<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. Although his character was the most awkward boy in his year, Lewis himself has blossomed into a buff young man who isn't shy about taking his shirt off.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Still, he told Attitude, "</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I've never considered myself to be good-looking at all. Just average."</span></p><p><span>However average Lewis may believe he looks, the internet thinks otherwise. Social media outlets are buzzing with the photos and everyone is weighing in on them - even "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling.</span></p><p>In response to the photos, Rowling admonished Lewis via Twitter:&#xa0;</p><div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/Mattdavelewis">@Mattdavelewis</a> Not as bad as watching Dan in Equus, but close. Warn me next time, for God's sake. <a href="https://t.co/r8EUd1GKqT">https://t.co/r8EUd1GKqT</a></p>- J.K. Rowling  (@jk_rowling) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/601355861248860160">May 21, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></div><p>Lewis responded with an apology, which Rowling accepted:&#xa0;</p><div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/Mattdavelewis">@Mattdavelewis</a> I will always support you whatever you want to do, Matthew. Now go put some clothes on.</p>- J.K. Rowling  (@jk_rowling) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/601357841019047936">May 21, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></div><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Rounding out <a href="http://time.com/author/esther-zuckerman/">the online repartee</a>, here's a tweet from Jason Isaacs, a.k.a. Lucius Malfoy:&#xa0;</span></p><div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/jasonsfolly">@jasonsfolly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Mattdavelewis">@Mattdavelewis</a> I wouldn't know. I hastily averted my eyes and read an article on Political Correctness to get over the shock.</p>- J.K. Rowling  (@jk_rowling) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/601361651712008194">May 21, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></div><p>Although electronics were known to malfunction at Hogwarts, it looks like the wizarding community is flourishing on Twitter.</p><p>Here are a few more photos of what the actor formerly known as Neville Longbottom looks like today.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555e423d69bedd65545d113d-782-1024/matthew-lewis-new-782x1024.jpg" border="0" alt="hot neville"><p class="source"><span>Attitude Magazine</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555e42776bb3f7ee0e5d113c-1200-2000/gettyimages-450872904.jpg" border="0" alt="hot neville"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>&#xa0;</p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555e42aaecad04b16e3a6514-1200-2000/gettyimages-450839868.jpg" border="0" alt="hot neville"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images.</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/batkid-begins-trailer-documentary-batman-san-francisco-make-a-wish-foundation-2015-5">Here's the powerful trailer for the Batkid documentary - the story of a cancer patient who Make-A-Wish turned into a superhero</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="52YnM3dTou3D_1nuBZ_6lvD1GAH4EBU9" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '52YnM3dTou3D_1nuBZ_6lvD1GAH4EBU9',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

JK Rowling's response to this Harry Potter actor's racy photo shoot is absolute gold

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48986807.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /><br /> Planning to quit your job and start a start-up? You must be doing some real head banging over the most suited revenue models and gulped down all the books on entrepreneurial lessons. Yet, you are in a haze as where to start? But one often overlooks the simplest examples in life. We all grew up being lost in the fantasy world of <keyword id="6357995" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Harry-Potter">Harry Potter</keyword> and we all despised Lord <keyword id="709903" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Voldemort">Voldemort</keyword>. But he is one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever. Here’s a list of lessons muggles can learn from this powerful wizard.<br />
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	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48986737.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" />

	<br />
	<strong>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Created own Horcruxes-</strong> If people do not give you a support system, make it for yourself.  His brilliant plan to divide his soul into seven parts defines perfectly the true meaning of not quitting. The orphan became one of the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever had. One should even choose the Horcruxes well for one easy Horcrux and a part of your soul is dead. Innovate your own way to success.

	<br />
	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48986752.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /><br />
	 

	<strong>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Plan-</strong> He planned and he planned well. Since the age of eleven, he started preparing himself to rule the world. Starting from opening the Slytherine closed chamber and unleashing the power of terror to building horcruxes, one of the most difficult task in the world, he planned everything well. Plan your VC and term sheets very well.

	<br />
	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48986783.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" />

	<br />
	<strong>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>True to your own self- </strong>Lord Voldemort never ever defied what he was, since his childhood. He knew he was a Slytherin and worked towards being a true one. And he was! Know your weaknesses and work on it by sharpening your strengths.

	<br />
	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48986787.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /><br />
	 

	<strong>4.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Find people who will be true to you till death-</strong> Lord Voldemort needed some ardent followers to rule the world for he knew though he was a brilliant wizard but he cannot accomplish the full task all by himself. One thing he made sure during his aggressive hiring process was that his clan remained always true to him and never ever backstabbed. From Lucius Malfoy to Bellatrix Lestrange, they all were so. Not everyone would share the same visions as your company.

	<br />
	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48986774.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /><br />
	 

	<strong>5.<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Know your enemies well-</strong> From the death eaters to his most sworn enemy Harry Potter, he knew every hooks and crooks about them. He captured the Death Eaters, feared by all, and made the Dementors his slave. He knew his enemies Harry and <keyword id="364877" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Albus-Dumbledore">Albus Dumbledore</keyword> so well that he could precisely predict the next steps and the next spell that they are going to use! Yet, he never underestimated their powers. <br />
	<br />
	(Image credits: twitter, playbuzz, dumbledoresarmyroleplay.wikia, fanpop, wikipedia, forums.oneplus)


5 startup-sutra hidden in the life lessons of Lord
Voldemort!

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f40a8957540ccb028b4a96-897/maccari-cicero.jpg" alt="denounce Maccari painting Cicero puts Catiline on blast" data-mce-source="Wikimedia Commons" data-link="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catiline_Orations#/media/File:Maccari-Cicero.jpg" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catiline_Orations#/media/File:Maccari-Cicero.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">It's not easy being Catiline.</p></div><p></p></div></div>I recently tracked down and reading William Bolitho's "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-against-gods-story-adventure/dp/B0007DSQ56/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1475522007&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=%2212+against+the+gods%22&amp;tag=bisafetynet-20">Twelve Against the Gods</a>," an out-of-print, one-time bestseller from 1929 that's become scarce in the wake of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twelve-against-the-gods-william-bolitho-2016-9">an endorsement from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk</a>.</p><p>The book spotlights a dirty dozen of historical characters who rebelled against convention in some form (with occasionally disastrous results). Bolitho's renderings of this rogue's gallery of characters is historically problematic in parts, but it still makes for an interesting read - one that reveals quite a lot about the author's ideas about success and greatness.</p><p>The best chapter shone the spotlight on a young patrician from ancient Rome named Lucius Sergius Catilina - commonly called Catiline. In his typical exuberant fashion, Bolitho dubs Catiline "one of the most interesting possibilities in the history of the world."</p><p>The author kicks off the character sketch with some notes on background (describing Rome as a gilded, corrupt city and comparing its trajectory to that of the US - according to Bolitho, by 2029, we'll very closely resemble the ancient empire). He calls Catiline a figure that could arise in any century - a patrician on the verge of being ousted from Rome's elite due to financial ruin.</p><p>Catiline also had more than a few skeletons in his closet, which is impressive, considering this was a time before closets were even invented. He'd messed up his tenure as governor of Africa (the Roman province, not the entire continent); allegedly murdered his brother-in-law; viciously persecuted rivals during a coup; and seduced a Vestal Virgin who just happened to be the sister-in-law of the consul Marcus Tullius Cicero ... spoiler alert: He's going to come up again later.</p><p>At a certain point, drowning in debt and reeling from his mess of a life, Catiline began plotting a "blood of night and fire" to kill Cicero, take over Rome, and abolish all debt. Bolitho characterizes the scheme as "... a sinister drollery, the simple delight of stirring up great crowds to die and kill."</p><p>However, crushing, insurmountable debt was a huge issue for many Romans. Whatever his motives (ulterior, pure, or otherwise), Catiline's cause proved popular amongst poor people and veterans in particular.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f79c5f57540c8b728b47a1-1536/img_3589.jpg.jpeg" alt="elon musk book" data-mce-source="Áine Cain/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Áine Cain/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">William Bolitho's "Twelve Against the Gods."</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The plan crumbled when a patrician woman named Fulvia became aware of the plot and warned Cicero of his impending assassination. After rounding up a number of conspirators, Cicero showed up at the Senate and was surprised to find Catiline there, too.</p><p>Cicero proceeded to deliver a "pitiless and unwavering" speech denouncing Catiline and the conspiracy. It got so scathing that all of the other senators began sliding away from Catiline, until he was all alone on one side of the room. Exposed, the conspirator fled Rome and led a hasty battle against the Republic's forces. Catiline died in the fighting and the conspiracy was squashed.</p><p>Bolitho describes the young Roman aristocrat's adventure as "one of the most surprising of all," as he did not have much to gain considering the unlikelihood of the plot's success. This chapter provides an interesting counterpoint to some of the more positive, jovial depictions of adventurers elsewhere in the book.</p><p>Catiline loathed the Roman system and promised change, but lacked the temperament, planning skills, and ability to carry out his idea. Once the plot was unveiled, he rushed into a hopeless battle and only succeeded at getting himself and many of his followers slaughtered.</p><p>Regardless of his true motives, Catiline represents the darker side of adventuring and innovation. Fresh, new ideas can go very wrong and execution can be more important than ideas themselves.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/1800-year-old-roman-chariot-mural-mosaic-unearthed-cyprus-2016-8">Archaeologists just unearthed a massive 1800-year-old mural</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FrdGY5NTE6RRqfHnXiiYirM-aOehjWHk" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'FrdGY5NTE6RRqfHnXiiYirM-aOehjWHk',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

I read the 87-year-old book recommended by Elon Musk, and my favorite chapter reveals the dark side of innovation and adventure

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Ross School of Business" title_caption="Community leaders told students what their neighborhoods were lacking." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541208b16bb3f79456e99dbb-960/ross-impact-challenge-3.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541208b16bb3f79456e99dbb-1200-600/ross-impact-challenge-3.jpg" border="0" alt="ross impact challenge" /></a><p class="source"><span>Ross School of Business</span></p><p class="caption">Community leaders told students what their neighborhoods were lacking.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Most grad school orientation weeks consist of a few days packed with dry lectures about the upcoming semester, with a mixer or barbeque thrown in. But this year at the <a href="http://michiganross.umich.edu/">University of Michigan Ross School of Business</a>, new MBA students were immediately tasked with creating a startup. And they were given four days to do it.</p>
<p>From Monday, Aug. 24, to Thursday, Aug. 28, all 450 first-year MBA students participated in the fourth annual Impact Challenge, a week-long competition to come up with the best business proposal, with a grand prize of $50,000 in funding.</p>
<p>Students were split into six groups of 75 and given the task of crafting a business plan for a for-profit company that would serve underprivileged youth in Detroit and inspire them to grow up to become entrepreneurs.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Ross School of Business" title_caption="Students worked in groups of 75 and needed to find a way to cooperate effectively." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541209b66bb3f7695ee99dbb-960/ross-impact-challenge-4.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541209b66bb3f7695ee99dbb-1154-865/ross-impact-challenge-4.jpg" border="0" alt="ross impact challenge" style="color: #000000;" /></a><p class="source"><span>Ross School of Business</span></p><p class="caption">Students worked in groups of 75 and needed to find a way to cooperate effectively.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Each group was assigned one faculty member, but in a mostly observational role. It was fascinating to watch each group find a way to organize 75 people on their own, professor of management and director of the Ross Leadership Initiative Scott De Rue tells Business Insider. "Some groups were led by a collective of five to 10 leaders. In others, one leader was dominant. And others operated on a kind of leadership rotation," he says.</p>
<p>Since the task was complex and the groups so large, De Rue found that the groups that operated with a fluid leadership system were the most successful. Such a system helped the group that created Mo'Tech ultimately win. Their company will sell refurbished computers to businesses at a profit and a smaller fraction to Detroit youth at affordable prices.</p>
<p>"It was really cool to see the specialization and focus within our group," Mo'Tech member Giancarlo Moise tells us. The first day was used for organization and brainstorming, and the members of the group that became Mo'Tech split into groups of specialization based on their professional backgrounds and natural talents.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Ross School of Business" title_caption="Students asked local kids what they wanted from a new business." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5412086aecad040b3106c6a7-960/ross-impact-challenge-2.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5412086aecad040b3106c6a7-1154-865/ross-impact-challenge-2.jpg" border="0" alt="ross impact challenge" width="480" /></a><p class="source"><span>Ross School of Business</span></p><p class="caption">Students asked local kids what they wanted from a new business.</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>Moise became the face of the proposed startup, along with Lily Hamburger and Lucius Clay, since they had exceptional storytelling and presentation abilities, which was crucial for effectively pitching the company at the end of the competition.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, the second day, the groups traveled en masse to downtown Detroit to gather information on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-yang-revives-detroit-with-venture-for-america-2014-3">the impoverished neighborhoods that would become their client base</a>.</p>
<p>The Ross Leadership Initiative arranged groups of community leaders, youth groups, and local entrepreneurs for the Ross students to meet with.</p>
<p>Mo'Tech was assigned to an area centered on the Brightmoor community. Clay tells us that he met with a pastor who told him that it required a great deal of effort to improve the rundown neighborhood.</p>
<p>"He told us that before joining the parish, he was asked if he was really sure he wanted to take the job, since the church and the neighborhood were so rundown. There were piles of trash in front of the church, and it was surrounded by abandoned, burnt-out houses," Clay says. Detroit has suffered for years with an arson problem.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Ross School of Business" title_caption="From left: Lily Hamburger, Lucius Clay, and Giancarlo Moise." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541207d1eab8eaf770ce63aa-960/ross-impact-challenge-1.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/541207d1eab8eaf770ce63aa-800-600/ross-impact-challenge-1.jpg" border="0" alt="ross impact challenge" width="480" /></a><p class="source"><span>Ross School of Business</span></p><p class="caption">From left: Lily Hamburger, Lucius Clay, and Giancarlo Moise.</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>While Clay got an idea of what his company's client base looked like, Moise spent the day meeting with Detroit entrepreneurs like <a href="http://www.quickenloans.com/">Quicken Loans</a>' Dan Gilbert and representatives of the incubator <a href="http://techtowndetroit.org/">TechTown Detroit</a>.</p>
<p>When their group met back on the UMich campus, some common themes emerged.</p>
<p>"We noticed that there was a need for computer literacy," Moise says. "We learned that students were using smartphones in lieu of computers for schoolwork, and that they didn't know the capabilities of personal computers."</p>
<p>On Wednesday, some of those community representatives and business leaders visited the campus to help the Ross students refine their pitches, which they gave to a panel of judges on Thursday. The panel consisted of one Ross professor, two venture capitalists, and another professor who was also a VC.</p>
<p>Clay tells us that Mo'Tech took first place because they found a sweet spot between social outreach and the potential for profitable growth.</p>
<p>Mo'Tech plans to gather used computers from large companies like General Motors, wipe their memories clean, and sell them to local businesses at affordable prices. Clay says that for every fourth or fifth computer sold, one would be sold at a price of around $25 to $50 to youth groups, schools, or individuals. The low price was not for profit generation but to give their clients a sense of ownership that would compel them to take care of the machine.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Ross School of Business" title_caption="Students needed to create a business that could benefit the economies of impoverished neighborhoods like Brightmoor." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54120454eab8eafc5ece63aa-960/ross-school-impact-challenge.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54120454eab8eafc5ece63aa-1154-865/ross-school-impact-challenge.jpg" border="0" alt="ross school impact challenge" style="color: #000000;" /></a><p class="source"><span>Ross School of Business</span></p><p class="caption">Students needed to create a business that could benefit the economies of impoverished neighborhoods like Brightmoor.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Clay adds that Mo'Tech was also prepared to answer the panel's questions when they tried to point out potential flaws in the plan. For example, they were asked how they would pay for software, which would generally be more expensive than the used hardware. Mo'Tech, however, would install Linux operating systems on their computers so that their clients could use free Linux software that mimicked a Windows interface.</p>
<p>De Rue says he was especially impressed by the way Mo'Tech incorporated its social initiative into a for-profit company, and that even though each of the other five competitors could still become viable companies, they were less focused on finding ways to scale and become profitable.</p>
<p>After prevailing in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/investor-mark-cuban-shark-tank-2014-4">"Shark Tank"-like judging process</a>, Mo'Tech was awarded the first-place prize of $50,000 from GM to turn Mo'Tech into a reality. UMich business undergrads wrapped up the Impact Challenge on Friday by competing to make the best Kickstarter campaign, which has yet to go live, to help get Mo'Tech off the ground.</p>
<p>Ross MBA students, now fully immersed in their first semester, can say that they started their business school experience by creating a company. It was an intense but highly effective transition into b-school, De Rue says.</p>
<p>"I was very impressed with all six groups," he tells us. "We threw them all into the deep end, and they ended up swimming."</p>

Ross Business School Students Spent Orientation Week Competing For $50,000 In Startup Funding 

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59fb800258a0c11f008b5ec1-2000/ap17306705731379.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="AP" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that TIME Magazine told him he was "probably" going to be named 2017's Person of the Year but that he "took a pass."</strong></li><li><strong>Celebrities in the entertainment and sports universe swiftly laid into Trump, who has been preoccupied with the "Person of the Year" title since before he launched his political career.</strong></li></ul><hr><p><br>Sports and entertainment celebrities had a field day with President Donald Trump's claim about passing on being Time magazine's 2017 Person of the Year.</br></p><p>"Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named 'Man (Person) of the Year,' like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot," Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/934189999045693441" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> on Friday. "I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!"</p><p>Time <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/time-magazine-responds-to-trump-person-of-the-year-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disputed Trump's tweet</a>, saying he was "incorrect" about its selection process for the award. "TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6," the magazine said in a statement on Twitter.</p><p>As the controversy unfolded, prominent figures in the entertainment and sports industry weighed in to mock the president.</p><p>"Time Magazine called to say that I was DEFINITELY going to be named 'Man (Person) of the Year' but I would have to agree to leak major #Ep8 spoilers," <a href="https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/934264500638715904?" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> "Star Wars" veteran Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy. "I said 'no problem', but then they told me you turned it down and now I don't want it anymore. Thanks anyway!"</p><p>"Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus threw in her two cents as well.</p><p>".@nytimes just called to say I was PROBABLY going to be named comedienne of the year but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot," she <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialJLD/status/934252492816338944" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>. "I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!"</p><p>Trump's tweet also drew scorn from Ava DuVernay, who directed "Selma" and the upcoming film, "A Wrinkle In Time."</p><p>"Nobody cares," DuVernay said in response to the president's claim.</p><p>Sports icons like tennis star Andy Murray and New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard chimed in with their own takes.</p><p>Actor Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and currently stars in "Star Trek: Discovery," jabbed Trump by referencing special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing Russia investigation.</p><p>"The #MuellerInvestigation just called and said you were PROBABLY going to be named Soap Monitor on your wing and would have to agree to an interview and a perp picture with your combover shaved off," Isaacs <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonsfolly/status/934422629468925953" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>. "I said that's waaaay f------ good enough for me. #TimeToStartPacking."</p><p>Conservative commentator and frequent Trump critic Bill Kristol also alluded to the investigation, <a href="https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/934210864449753093" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeting</a> that he didn't know who 2017's Time Person of the Year would be, but he hoped Mueller would get the honor in 2018.</p><p>Actor and comedian David Schneider lampooned the president as well.</p><p>Venerated author Joyce Carol Oates said her cat was slated to become TIME Magazine's "Feline of the Year" but declined to be interviewed because "she is a cat."</p><p>And Oscar winner Patricia Arquette wrote in response to Trump's tweet that he could just print himself "another fake cover."</p><h2>Trump's interest in TIME's cover predates his political ambitions</h2><p>Arquette was likely referring to a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-time-magazine-with-trump-on-the-cover-hangs-in-his-golf-clubs-its-fake/2017/06/27/0adf96de-5850-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html?utm_term=.ca41d9bbd80a" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Washington Post report</a> which found that a framed copy of a fake Time magazine cover featuring Trump's photo hung in five of his luxury golf clubs.</p><p>"Donald Trump: The 'Apprentice' is a television smash!" the headline on the fake cover read. There was another headline, written in all caps, above the TIME logo: "TRUMP IS HITTING ON ALL FRONTS . . . EVEN TV!"</p><p>"We couldn't comment on the decor at Trump Golf clubs one way or another," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in response to the June report.</p><p>Trump's preoccupation with Time magazine and its "Person of the Year" award took root long before his political career took off.</p><p>"I knew last year that @TIME Magazine lost all credibility when they didn't include me in their Top 100...," he tweeted in 2012.</p><p>"The Time Magazine list of the 100 Most Influential People is a joke and stunt of a magazine that will, like Newsweek, soon be dead. Bad list!" he tweeted in April 2013.</p><p>After throwing a slew of insults at the magazine between then and 2015, Trump praised it for including him on its cover in August 2015, as his presidential bid jumped to the top of the polls.</p><p>He later soured on the magazine, however, when it <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiFi_e6nNrXAhWDRt8KHRZCCMQQFggoMAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2Ftime-person-of-the-year-2015-angela-merkel%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw1kegqie7RXqE3Jw8s8SSg2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">named German Chancellor Angela Merkel</a> as its 2015 Person of the Year.</p><p>"I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite," he <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/674587800835092480" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>. "They picked person who is ruining Germany."</p><p>The magazine made it back into his good graces in early 2016, when he made the cover again, and later that year, when he was <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=5&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjBv6HLnNrXAhVQkeAKHSdrCOgQFgg8MAQ&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fdonald-trump-time-magazine-person-of-the-year-2016-12&amp;usg=AOvVaw25oxRk_QjZpPO7flm_P8n4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">finally named Person of the Year</a> after winning the November election.</p><p>"Thank you to Time Magazine and Financial Times for naming me "Person of the Year" - a great honor!" he <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/809384826193276928" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Nobody cares.</p>- Ava DuVernay  (@ava) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/934200609078513664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bbc just called to say I was PROBABLY going to be named sports personality of the year but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!</p>- Andy Murray  (@andy_murray) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/934205813731848192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sports Illustrated called and said I was probably going to be Sportsman of the Year, but it was going to take a long photo shoot and interview. I'm not proud of my recent perm and have a interpretive dance class at the interview time so I turned  it down! No Thanks SI!!</p>- Noah Syndergaard  (@Noahsyndergaard) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/934310361100050432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I don't know who'll be Time's 2017 Person of the Year, but I must say it would be nice if Robert Mueller turns out to be Time's 2018 Person of the Year.</p>- Bill Kristol  (@BillKristol) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/934210864449753093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Hollywood just called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named the next James Bond but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!</p>- David Schneider  (@davidschneider) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/934203173992128512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>You can always print yourself another fake cover.</p>- Patricia Arquette  (@PattyArquette) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/934192884588277760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>On the cover of <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TIME</a> Magazine-a great honor! <a href="http://t.co/zlEHp49oPs">pic.twitter.com/zlEHp49oPs</a></p>- Donald J. Trump  (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/634378848516317184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hyeonseo-lee-on-life-under-a-dictatorship-north-korea-refugee-defector-2016-1">A North Korean defector tells us what life was like under a dictatorship</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/cEcg5tt3-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div></hr>

Celebrities are skewering Trump for claiming he 'took a pass' at being TIME's Person of the Year

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5332dc74eab8ea9343147c46-1200-924/outkast-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Outkast" /><p class="source"><span>Getty</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Chicago music festival Lollapalooza <a href="http://www.lollapalooza.com/2014-lineup/" target="_blank">announced its 2014 lineup</a> for August 1-3, and it's pretty good.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Eminem</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Outkast</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Kings of Leon</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Calvin Harris</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Skrillex</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Arctic Monkeys</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> headline the <span>130 acts playing over the course of the three-day festival, which returns to Chicago's Grant Park for the tenth year in a row.</span></span></p>
<p><span data-mce-mark="1">The rest of the list includes a diverse roster of performers, from Lorde and <span>The Avett Brothers to</span> rapper </span>Nas and DJ <span data-mce-mark="1">Sebastian Ingrosso.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">But good luck getting tickets, as three-day passes sold out within an hour of going on sale Wednesday morning.</span></p>
<p><span>A limited number of single day passes will be available today, March 26th, starting at 11 a.m. EST. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">VIP and platinum packages are also still available. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Check out the full lineup of acts below:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Eminem</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Outkast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Kings of Leon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Arctic Monkeys</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Calvin Harris</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Skrillex</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Lorde</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Foster the People</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Avett Brothers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Zedd</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Krewella</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Sebastian Ingrosso</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Above &amp; Beyond</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Nas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Childish Gambino</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Broken Bells</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Spoon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Cage the Elephant</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Interpol</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Head and the Heart</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Young the Giant</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Lykke Li</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Chase &amp; Status</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Chance the Rapper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Phantogram</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">cut/copy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Flosstradamus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Chvrches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Fitz &amp; the Tantrums</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Chromeo</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Glitch Mob</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Grouplove</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Darkside</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Portugal the Man</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Gramatik</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The 1975</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Dimitri Vegas &amp; Like Mike</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Jenny Lewis</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Rebelution</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">AFI</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Manchester Orchestra</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Glen Hansard</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">J. Roddy Walston &amp; The Business</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">John Butler Trio</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Gesaffelstein</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Kooks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Martin Garrix</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Flume</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Rudimental</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Phosphorescent</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Trombone Shorty &amp; Orleans Avenue</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Iggy Azalea</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Duke Dumont</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Run the Jewels</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Bombay Bicycle Club</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Temper Trap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Airborne Toxic Event</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Warpaint</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Joachim Garraud</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">London Grammar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Kodaline</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Typhoon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">White Denim</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Sander Kleinenberg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Z-Trip</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Delta Rae</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Lucius</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Kate Nash</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">RAC</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Blood Orange</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Vance Joy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">GTA</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Perry/Etty vs Joachim Garraud</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Rich Homie Quan</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Jhené Aiko</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Jagwar Ma</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Parquet Courts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Kongos</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Temples</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Small Pools</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">NONONO</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Vic Mensa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Jungle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Gemini Club</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Francisca Valenzuela</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Wildcat! Wildcat!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Crizzly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Into It Over It</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">PAPA</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Bomba Estéreo</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Courtney Barnett</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Districts Bleachers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">San Fermin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Robust</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Bear Hands</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Roadkill</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Ghost Choir</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Royal Blood</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Kausea</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Brillz</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Ratking</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Bronze Radio Return</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Jacob Plant</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Meg Myers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Lindsay Lowend</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The So S Glos</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Joywave</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Betty Who</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Cash Cash</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Desert Noises</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Fly Golden Eagle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Bebe Rexha</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Jon Batiste and Stay Human</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Crass Mammoth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Wallpaper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Benjamin Booker</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Cardiknox</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">DUGAS</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Last Internationale</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Space Capone</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Bagheera</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Johnnyswim</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Plastic Visions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Of Verona</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Charlie Hirsch</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Oyinda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Highly Suspect</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Anna Lunoe</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Rocky Business</span></li>
</ul>

Outkast, Kings Of Leon, Eminem Headline Lollapalooza Lineup - Already Sold Out

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f3cedc9bd9786f018b4815-1536/img_3589.jpg.jpeg" alt="12 against the gods" data-mce-source="Áine Cain" /><p class="source"><span>Áine Cain</span></p><p class="caption">An illustration depicting Charles XII of Sweden.</p></div><p></p></div></div>In July, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that he was reading a <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-28/musk-s-reading-list-reflects-his-own-battle-against-the-gods">largely forgotten 1929 bestseller</a>: William Bolitho's "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-against-gods-story-adventure/dp/B0007DSQ56/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1475522007&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=%2212+against+the+gods%22">Twelve Against the Gods</a>," an 87-year-old book dedicated to adventure and the memory of famous adventurers.</p><p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-28/musk-s-reading-list-reflects-his-own-battle-against-the-gods">As Bloomberg previously reported</a>, copies of the book immediately became scarce. The work is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-against-gods-story-adventure/dp/B0007DSQ56/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1475522007&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=%2212+against+the+gods%22">currently available on Amazon</a> for a not-at-all intimidating $575.</p><p>I volunteered to find and read it because <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/terrible-career-advice">I like history</a> and old books. The epic title didn't hurt either - to me, "Twelve Against the Gods" sounds kind of like a Hellenistically themed blockbuster.</p><p>Before I could get my hands on the rare text, I was cursed to do quite a lot of digging. Everywhere I looked online, "Twelve Against the Gods" was either insanely costly or unavailable. References to Bolitho's work were pretty scant too, aside from the reports on Musk's endorsement.</p><p>Just when I was beginning to suspect that the book itself might not actually exist (it wouldn't have been the first time I've been ensnared in a historical wild goose chase), it turned up in my local library system.</p><p>I was put on the waitlist and, about a month later, finally obtained Bolitho's account of the lives of 12 "wanderers." This book is old, with a scuffed, dark red cover and yellowing pages (it's got that sweet, "old book" smell too). I was careful to keep it away from the sand when I began to read it on the beach one cold, windy weekend.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57ed2dc4b0ef973f1b8b8c92-1525/img_3579.jpg.jpeg" alt="book" data-mce-source="Áine Cain/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Áine Cain/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">"Twelve Against the Gods" was my beach read.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Basically, each chapter paints a portrait of a historical figure that smacked convention in the face through war, exploration, political intrigue, romance, or all of the above. Subjects include big names like Alexander the Great, Christopher Columbus, Giacomo Casanova, the Prophet Muhammad, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-napoleon-in-pieces-emperors-life-in-legos-for-waterloo-anniversary-2015-5">Napoleon I</a>, Isadora Duncan, and Woodrow Wilson, as well as slightly less-famous characters like Lola Montez, Alessandro Cagliostro and Lorenza Seraphina Feliciani, Charles XII of Sweden, Lucius Sergius Catilina (also known as Catiline), and Napoleon III.</p><p>Beginning with Bolitho's proto-adventurer Alexander the Great and his destructive sweep eastward, each of "the twelve" follows a similar, often tragic arc. They display promise and make their mark on history in a spectacular fashion, only to eventually succumb to hubris or circumstances.</p><p>The biographies must have been considered pretty edgy at the time - Bolitho shines the spotlight on his subjects' often unusual life choices and colorful antics, noting that true adventure is "rarely chaste, or merciful, or even-law abiding at all, and any moral peptonizing, or sugaring, takes out the interest, with the truth, of their lives."</p><p>The chapters detailing the less-famous individuals were the most interesting. I had never even heard of Lola Montez, the mistress of a Bavarian king who pushed for liberal reforms until she was forced to flee Europe altogether; or Cagliostro and Seraphina, a couple known for everything from occult rituals to an infamous scandal involving Marie Antoinette's diamond necklace; or Charles XII of Sweden, a "saint" of adventure who emulated Alexander the Great and led an initially successful, but ultimately fatal, march on Moscow.</p><p>It's also super dated, oftentimes historically problematic, and riddled with offensive and cringeworthy nuggets ("with the woman-adventurer all is love or hate ... her adventure his man; her type is not the prospector, but the courtesan" - <em>yikes</em>), but given its publication date, none of that is exactly surprising.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f3c0659bd978c5128b4570-1536/img_3605.jpg.jpeg" alt="IMG_3605.JPG" data-mce-source="Áine Cain/Business Insider" /><p class="source"><span>Áine Cain/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">An illustration for the chapter on Alexander the Great.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Ultimately, one of the book's most intriguing characters is <em>not</em> one of the twelve. Just like Musk, William "Bill" Bolitho Ryall had roots in South Africa. He also led a wild life, not unlike his adventuring subjects. As <a href="http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/06/04/issue.html">the New York Times</a> <a href="http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/11/16/118393527.html?pageNumber=34">reported</a> in its contemporary coverage of his death, Bolitho survived being buried alive in the Battle of the Somme, covered Mussolini's rise to power as a journalist, and befriended the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Noel Coward, and Walter Lippman.</p><p>Like many of his 12, Bolitho didn't have much time to savor his success. Just a year after achieving enormous recognition with "Twelve Against the Gods," Bolitho died of appendicitis.</p><p>All in all, the book provides an interesting perspective on what drove and impeded this group of adventurers. It's a good read for anyone who's interested in history or looking to find some motivation to switch things up and break the rules. Although, take everything with a grain of salt - don't get yourself so hyped up that you declare yourself a god and try to conquer everything from Greece to India.</p><p>As is the case with many histories, the book often reveals more about the author than its historical subjects. This isn't a criticism, though. Bolitho was quite a character himself and might have become equally as famous as some of his dozen adventurers had he lived. Taking some time to read about his thoughts on promise, risk, and success is definitely worthwhile.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-mars-risks-death-spacex-2016-9"> Elon Musk on going to Mars - 'The probability of death is quite high'</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9qcTQ1NjE66MYero-U8mIC4RFCvb1NRf" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '9qcTQ1NjE66MYero-U8mIC4RFCvb1NRf',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

It took me over a month to hunt down an 87-year-old book Elon Musk recommended, and I'm glad I did

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e2a4b9077dcc62238b7009-1411/daenerys on her ships.png" alt="daenerys on her ships" data-mce-source="HBO" /><p class="source"><span>HBO</span></p><p class="caption">Do people view you as a leader?</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In the movies, amazing leaders can frequently be seen making life-changing speeches - sometimes whilst riding a horse back and forth before a mass of armored, sword-wielding soldiers.</p><p>In real life, leadership is a much quieter trait. In fact, you may not always even realize that others see <em>you</em> as a great leader.</p><p>Here are some signs that people view you as a leader in the office:</p><h3>1. Everyone seeks out your opinion</h3><p>This is probably the most obvious sign that your peers view you as a leader. Whether or not you're the boss, you're a fixture in the office when it comes to giving insight and opinions. If this sounds like you, then your coworkers clearly value your wisdom.</p><h3>2. You're a good communicator</h3><p>People won't think you're a great leader just because you've got good ideas. You've got to be able to communicate those ideas too.</p><p>"There has to be a sense that the person themselves believes in the project or idea," <span>leadership expert Hugh Kearns said in </span><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2012/03/enhance-your-career-leadership-skills">an interview with Science magazine</a><span>.</span> "If they are wishy-washy or not very committed to the idea themselves, then it will be very hard to bring other people along. The other people will have the concern that the project will collapse at the first obstacle or setback."</p><h3>3. Your boss ignores you sometimes</h3><p>"Sometimes, bosses want to see how proactive and self-starting their future leaders are. Those who need less care and feeding may have the edge over those who need constant reinforcement and direction to be productive," <a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/8-surefire-signs-youre-on-the-path-to-becoming-a-real-leader">Jim Morris writes for the Daily Muse</a>.</p><p>Having your supervisor "neglect" you sometimes might not be the best feeling in the world, but it's probably a pretty good sign.</p><h3>4. You never scramble to take the lead</h3><p><a href="http://www.inc.com/les-mckeown/3-signs-youre-a-true-leader.html">In an article for Inc</a>, Les McKeown wrote that there's a difference between take-charge-type posers and real leaders:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Always opinionated, usually impatient and frequently brusque, these gotta-be-in-fronters get so used to other people describing them as natural born leaders that sooner or later - to their own and everyone else's detriment -they begin to believe it."</p><p>Real leaders only take the helm when it's necessary.</p><p>This trait goes back to one of the heroes of ancient Rome. A general named Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was called to serve the state as dictator during an invasion (in those days, "dictators" were appointed during military emergencies and held full authority for six months). He was so competent that he routed the invasion in a matter of weeks. Afterwards, instead of taking advantage of his term, he resigned, went back to his small farm, and became a legend in his own lifetime.</p><p>People generally prefer selfless leaders like Cincinnatus over ambitious, grasping ones like Caesar.</p><h3>5. You help people grow</h3><p>Whenever someone messes up, you're the first one on the scene helping them to fix things. Coworkers seek you out for help and your boss frequently asks you to mentor others.</p><p>"If people are coming to you, they either figured out you excel at something, or they were sent to you as a knowledgeable resource. Either way, it's a good sign," Morris says <a href="https://www.themuse.com/advice/8-surefire-signs-youre-on-the-path-to-becoming-a-real-leader">in an article for the Daily Muse</a>.</p><h3>6. You're firm, but not close-minded</h3><p>Moderation is key. You don't want to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-your-boss-is-a-pushover-2016-9?r=UK&amp;IR=T">come across as a pushover,</a> of course. No one is going to view a weak-willed person as a potential leader. That being said, the best leaders aren't lone wolves. They take their team members' suggestions and concerns into consideration before acting.</p><p>If you stand up for your own ideas, but fairly weigh every option before proceeding, then odds are your coworkers consider you an effective leader.</p><h3>7. People come to you for advice</h3><p>If people are actually soliciting your insight at work, that's a clear sign they respect your judgment. They're looking to you for guidance.</p><p>Think about it this way. Who do you turn to when you need advice? Some random colleague whose work you don't respect? Or someone you aspire to become more like?</p><h3>8. You always do your homework</h3><p>A good leader doesn't have to give amazing speeches or even have a ton of charisma. People will perceive you as as promising leader if you have insightful solutions and prepare well for workplace projects. Instead of trying to wow others with fake charisma, focus on being the best you can be at your job.</p><p>"I think most people have unrealistic ideas about leadership," Kearns said <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2012/03/enhance-your-career-leadership-skills">an interview with Science magazine</a>. "They tend to think they have to be Nelson Mandela or some such inspirational character. In reality leadership is much more mundane: for example, preparing for your meeting, communicating with people, and listening."</p><h3>9. You're confident, but not arrogant</h3><p>Arrogant people believe themselves to be excellent leaders and workers - without having much evidence to back up that hypothesis. They just <em>feel</em> like they should be in charge.</p><p>No one wants to take orders from an arrogant leader.</p><p>Confident people know their strengths and work on their weaknesses. They trust in their own competence and work hard. People are usually happy to follow confident, competent individuals.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-effective-leadership-basketball-foundation-family-key-2016-8">After 3 NBA championships, LeBron James shares his best advice on leadership</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="pzOXBmNTE6WEhhKYfzrlWL2maeQ34x1P" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'pzOXBmNTE6WEhhKYfzrlWL2maeQ34x1P',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

9 signs people see you as a great leader

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5200068aeab8ea9e60000000-754-565/marco-arment-8.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="marco arment" width="480" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/luciuskwok/4440518558/sizes/o/in/photolist-7LoPsN-aoHkxq/">Lucius Kwok</a></p><p class="caption">Marco Arment</p></div></div>Popular app maker Marco Arment may be working on a new podcast application for the iPhone.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We heard from someone that's connected to the app-making scene that Arment is working on a podcast app. It seems like it's just gossip right now, but it sure makes a lot of sense. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Arment is a big podcast person. For years, he hosted a show called "<a href="http://5by5.tv/buildanalyze">Build and Analyze</a>" with Dan Benjamin. Lately, he's been doing a show called "<a href="http://atp.fm/">Accidental Tech Podcast</a>." He's also been a regular guest on Daring Fireball writer John Gruber's podcast. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Someone who listened to one of podcasts says Arment says his new app will use a lot of data. Arment also <a href="https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/363697281561673728">tweeted about building his own tools</a> for recording podcasts, so he's getting into audio code, it seems.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In the past, Arment has <a href="http://www.marco.org/2012/06/15/ios6-moves-podcasts-to-separate-app">complained about Apple's official podcast app</a>, as well as what third party developers are making. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We emailed Arment for comment, and he wrote back, saying, "</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Pretty much everyone expects me to make a podcast app, so I'm not surprised that you heard that. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">I'm not ready to talk about what I'm building yet, but when I am, I'll do it through my own channels."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Arment has developed into something of cult figure thanks to <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword>'s App Store. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Arment was Tumblr's CTO when w</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">hen Apple launched the App Store in 2008.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">As a side project, he made Instapaper, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">an app that took text from websites, and saved it for reading later. <span>Arment left Tumblr in 2010 to work on Instapaper full time.  </span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Initially, he offered a free version, then a $5 paid version shortly after. Eventually he dropped the free version. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Last year he sold Instapaper to Betaworks for an undisclosed amount. By the time he was leaving Instapaper, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/29/betaworks-john-borthwick-weighs-in-on-acquiring-instapaper/">it was doing $1 million a year in sales</a>, according to Betaworks CEO John Borthwick. </span></p>
<p><span>His next move is of interest to people that follow technology, and in particular, the app market. </span></p>
<p>After Apple announced iOS 7, a major overhaul of the iPhone and iPad's operating system, Arment said he believed the new design <a href="http://www.marco.org/2013/06/11/fertile-ground">would provide "fertile ground" for any developer</a>. He believed current developers would struggle to support both the current version of iOS and the new version.</p>
<p><span>As a result, "<span>Anyone can march right into an established category with a huge advantage if they have the audacity to be exclusively modern."</span></span></p>
<p><span>There are many podcasting apps in the App Store, but none are perfect. Arment seems like a good person to develop a new, better solution for listening to podcasts. Especially, if he has an eye on making it iOS 7-centric. </span></p>

Instapaper Genius Marco Arment Is Working On A New Podcast App, According To The Gossipers

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53d69510eab8ea3364669554-797-600/screen shot 2014-07-28 at 2.22.35 pm.png" border="0" alt="puppy computer office happy" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>A new study shows that companies with high levels of employee satisfaction tend to outperform the market.</p>
<p>The study by Alex Edmans of Wharton Business School, Chendi Zhang of Warwick Business School, and PhD. student Lucius Li of Warwick Business School investigates the stock returns in countries with flexible labor markets of companies with very high employee satisfaction in different countries around the world.</p>
<p>The working paper was posted recently <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w20300">at the website of the National Bureau for Economic Research</a>.</p>
<p>Professor Edmans had <a href="http://faculty.london.edu/aedmans/RoweAMP.pdf">previously analyzed</a> the returns on those companies in the United States that were in the annual <a href="http://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-companies/100-best-companies-to-work-for">"100 Best Companies To Work For"</a> list compiled every year by the <a href="http://www.greatplacetowork.com/">Great Place to Work Institute</a> and published in <a href="http://fortune.com/best-companies/">Fortune</a>. They found that these companies had higher stock returns than the market as a whole.</p>
<p>Edmans and his colleagues focus on stock returns after the lists have been posted as a way to compensate for the possibility of reverse causality, where high performing companies cause happier employees. By looking at stock returns over the year after the publication of the list, the hope is to capture any long term effects of employee satisfaction.</p>
<p>The current study expands on this approach by looking at other countries. Great Place to Work publishes equivalent Best Companies lists for a number of countries, and Edmans and his fellow researchers found 14 countries in which at least ten publicly traded companies appeared on the Best Companies list at least once between 1998 and 2013. </p>
<p>Among those countries, eleven, including the U.S., all saw positive abnormal risk-adjusted returns, that is additional returns above the market, for hypothetical portfolios made up of those publicly traded companies appearing on a Best Companies list.</p>
<p>Because of small sample sizes in most of the countries (since only a few publicly traded companies showed up on the Best Companies lists), it's hard to be sure that this is an actual relationship, and not just statistical noise. Still, in those countries with large enough sample sizes to make more definitive conclusions, the Best Companies outperformed the markets: Chile, Sweden, the U.S., and Japan all had statistically significant abnormal risk-adjusted returns by firms on their respective Best Companies lists.</p>
<p>While the researchers saw positive abnormal risk-adjusted returns in most of the countries, the actual magnitude of those returns varied quite a bit. They went on to propose a possible explanation for that diversity: countries with more flexible labor markets, in which it's easier for companies to hire and fire employees, are likely to see more of a relationship between employee satisfaction and value.</p>
<p>If hiring is easy and there is a good amount of competition for labor, higher levels of employee satisfaction can be a powerful recruitment tool. Similarly, high value employees who have options to leave are more likely to stay if they are at a job where they are happy. Finally, the researchers point out in the working paper that "<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">workers exert effort </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">to avoid being fired from a satisfying job, and thus employee satisfaction has greater motivational </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">impact when the likelihood of firing is stronger."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Conversely, less flexible, more highly regulated labor markets in which there are greater barriers to hiring and firing should see less of a relationship between satisfaction and performance, owing to the damping down of the above factors.</span></p>
<p>To test this, Edmans and his colleagues ran a version of their statistical model that also included measures of labor market flexibility in each country, based mostly on government regulations on hiring and firing. In this version of the model, they found that the labor market flexibility explained a lot of the variation in the different countries' abnormal return rates for Best Companies, supporting the above hypothesis.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">For more detail, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w20300">check out the original paper at NBER</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p>

Companies With Happy Employees Have Stocks That Beat The Market

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f65bd29bd9782a188b500b-2400/img_3110.jpg" alt="IMG_3110.JPG" data-mce-source="Josh Wolff / Business Insider" data-mce-caption="The author requests an UberPool using a smartphone." /><p class="source"><span>Josh Wolff / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The author requests an UberPool using a smartphone.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The mass transit I took to Brooklyn the other night came in the form of a gray Toyota minivan.</p><p>It sure didn't seem like mass transit: my colleague and I filled the middle row, and for most of the rush-hour journey crawling over torn up Greenwich Village streets and then coasting across the Manhattan bridge, it was just the two of us and the driver and four empty seats.</p><p>Comfortable, but hardly efficient.</p><p>I was in an UberPool, the ride-hailing company's service that picks up passengers heading in the same direction, adding extra pickups and drop offs - and generally some <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/tech/nation/funniest-conversations-overheard-in-uberpool">small</a> talk -but saving everyone on board money. It felt like a fancy way to get to a part of the city well served by subways.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f52c8b9bd9781d008b4f39-750/file5.jpeg" alt="file5" width="319" height="568" data-mce-source="Dan Bobkoff / Business Insider" data-mce-caption="UberPool automatically sends a bigger vehicle if you use a WageWorks card, even though some of those seats won't be filled." /><p class="source"><span>Dan Bobkoff / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">UberPool automatically sends a bigger vehicle if you use a WageWorks card, even though some of those seats won't be filled.</p></div><p></p></div>But here's what made it remarkable: I had managed to pay for this ride using pretax deductions from my paycheck, just like someone taking the subway or bus might.</p><p>This tax break, which Uber has been offering riders for just over a month, saved me about $5 on this $18 ride. But in a city teeming with buses and subways and cars and taxis, I wondered how it was possible the IRS was happy with me paying for an Uber as a kind of deduction, especially when taxis and other cars don't get the same treatment. </p><p>The answer has a lot to do with what the IRS considers "transit," and explains why I rode in such a big vehicle with so many empty seats. And it's the story of Uber finding a way to take advantage of a law written pre-internet to gain another edge over the city's traditional taxis.</p><h2>How is this allowed?</h2><p>Taxi riders don't get tax breaks. Nor do people who drive to work, except for their parking.</p><p>Regular carpools also get no break.</p><p>But for years, workers have been able to use pretax dollars to pay for subways and buses, and to save on bicycles, but it's only been since August 30 that UberPool riders in New York City could do the same.</p><p>It came through a <a href="https://www.wageworks.com/about/news/press-releases/august-2016/wageworks-partners-with-uber-to-offer-pre-tax-commuter-benefits-for-uberpool">deal</a> between Uber and WageWorks, a company that administers transit benefits for employers (<em>including Business Insider</em>).</p><p>The government allows workers to set aside up to $255 each month to pay commuting costs, and New Yorkers using a WageWorks debit card can use those dollars to pay for trains and mass transit passes.</p><p>A few months back, Uber and WageWorks started talking about ways to let WageWorks customers pay for Ubers. They realized that through a quirk in the law, they might be able to call UberPool a "transit pass," just like a MetroCard is for the subway. But there was a problem. Uber drivers use lots of different kinds of vehicles, but only some qualify as "transit."</p><p>IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15b/ar02.html#en_US_2016_publink1000193740">rules</a> - for reasons that long predate anything like Uber - mandate that pretax dollars be used only in vehicles that can seat at least six passengers. Only some Ubers are big enough.</p><p>"They can't just take their regular Uber fleet and any of those cars for UberPool," Dan Neuberger, WageWorks' president of commuter services, told Business Insider.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f65c409bd9789b018b527e-2400/img_3121.jpg" alt="IMG_3121.JPG" data-mce-source="Josh Wolff / Business Insider" data-mce-caption="It's a big vehicle for just two passengers." /><p class="source"><span>Josh Wolff / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">It's a big vehicle for just two passengers.</p></div><p></p></div></div>So Uber worked out a complicated backend solution. If you hail an UberPool on a smartphone, the app checks what kind of credit card you're using. If it's a regular card, it will send whatever vehicle is closest. But if you select a WageWorks card, it will only send vehicles with six or more passenger seats, even though it's unlikely Uber will fill them.</p><p>That's why I ended up in such a big vehicle with so many empty seats.</p><h2>The Uber 'loophole' </h2><p>When UberPool first offered shared rides in 2014, the company promised that no ride would ever seat more than four passengers at a time. </p><p>As late as October 5, the UberPool website promoted the four passenger max, implying at least two seats will always be empty on rides with passengers using pretax dollars. </p><p>A day after I asked Uber about this, the company removed the reference to "4 co-riders total" from the UberPool <a href="https://www.uber.com/ride/uberpool/">site</a>. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f52e1d9bd97820008b4f64-888/screen shot 2016-10-05 at 12.40.43 pm.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016 10 05 at 12.40.43 PM" data-mce-source="Uber / Dan Bobkoff / Business Insider" data-mce-caption="Uber says there will never be more than four passengers in an UberPool, but to use pretax dollars, the car must have at least six passenger seats." data-link="https://www.uber.com/ride/uberpool/" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.uber.com/ride/uberpool/">Uber / Dan Bobkoff / Business Insider</a></span></p><p class="caption">As of October 5, Uber's site said there will never be more than four passengers in an UberPool, but to use pretax dollars, the car must have at least six passenger seats. The company removed that language shortly after.</p></div><p></p></div></div>A spokesman said the company meant to remove that promise in May when it started marketing UberPool as a good option during commuting hours. He said Pool rides may now have up to six passengers, though that will happen "somewhat infrequently." </p><p>Indeed, some rides will have just one rider: not exactly a "pool," or mass transit.</p><p>Uber can do this because the law is vague on this point.</p><p>"They just found a loophole," Jason Pavluchuk, government affairs director at the Association for Commuter <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword>, told Business Insider. </p><p>There's no rule governing how many people must be in the car at any one time to qualify. There's no rule that says it even has to be used for commuting to work, even though that's clearly the intent of the law. It's perfectly legal to use UberPool pretax coming home drunk from a bar on the weekend. All Uber has to do is make sure the car it sends has at least six seats.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f5304d9bd9786d028b4ec8-2400/file2.jpeg" alt="file2" data-mce-source="Dan Bobkoff / Business Insider" data-mce-caption="The backseat of the UberPool remained completely empty for the whole journey." /><p class="source"><span>Dan Bobkoff / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The backseat of the UberPool remained completely empty during my journey.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"The intent of the law is commuting to and from work, but there's nothing illegal about using their transit passes in other ways," Pavluchuk said. </p><p>Uber said it's providing a convenient way for people going in the same direction to share a journey, and that the pretax commuter benefits will make it more affordable. </p><p>"We are opening up carpooling to more people, which is what these provisions of the tax code were written to encourage," said Matt Wing, Uber's New York-based spokesman. </p><p>However, traditional carpooling - say four co-workers cramming into a station wagon - gets no tax breaks. </p><p>"UberPool is kind of implying it's like a carpool, but really it's being declared as a transit pass," Phil Winters, a director at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida, told Business Insider.</p><p>The big question is why the transit pass rule is so broad, and "whether it's an oversight for not including the other part of the commuter highway vehicle requirements," Winters said. "On purpose or an omission?"</p><p>That's a real question because, strangely, the IRS rules talk about van commuting in two different places. To use pretax dollars for a "vanpool," meaning you transport workers to and from an office, you have to meet a lot of requirements. The van, which the government calls a "commuter highway vehicle," must be used at least 80% of the time for commuting and at least half the seats must be filled.</p><p>But if you pay for the van using a "transit pass," nothing matters other than the number of seats. That's what applies to Uber and WageWorks.</p><h2>It was originally for 'transit'</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/573cdb1552bcd0210c8c3b67-1697/istock_000028687858_medium.jpg" alt="subway reading" data-mce-source="iStock/Sean Gao" /><p class="source"><span>iStock/Sean Gao</span></p><p class="caption">Many original backers promoted the tax break as a way to boost mass transit, like the New York subway.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Ironically, the tax law benefiting Uber was originally written to get cars off the road.</p><p>Long before Uber, and years before even dial up internet, Larry Filler was on a mission to make transit competitive with driving. In the 1980s, as the head of TransitCenter, he became the father of TransitChek, the program that provides tax-free fare cards to workers. Before TransitChek, the only people who got a tax break were those who paid for parking at work.</p><p>His "focus originally was on transit, pure and simple," Filler told Business Insider. "And then it became very well used in New York and it was felt that it should be part of the tax code."</p><p>Inspired by his work in New York, Congress in 1992 passed a bill allowing workers to use tax-free dollars on mass transit, parking, and also vanpools. (Later, they added biking.)</p><p>"The primary purpose was to try to equalize the incentive between parking and driving and using transit," Filler said. "But we did add vanpooling because we saw that as another alternative to driving alone."</p><p>The idea was that vans would be used in cities where there weren't many other options. Seattle, for instance, is particularly into vanpools. But back then, no one anticipated anything like Uber.</p><h2>Who benefits?</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f65cd19bd9782b258b4f35-1280/img_3126.jpg" alt="IMG_3126" data-mce-source="Josh Wolff / Business Insider" data-mce-caption="The seat is a lot more comfortable than the Subway." /><p class="source"><span>Josh Wolff / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The seat is a lot more comfortable than the subway.</p></div><p></p></div></div>For most of my UberPool ride, it seemed like we'd be the only passengers. But once we crossed into Brooklyn, the driver took a turn in the wrong direction and we picked up Cassie Magzamen near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It's a neighborhood with only one subway: the dreaded G train, New York's only line that avoids Manhattan.</p><p>So to make up the transit gap, Magzamen uses UberPool about three times a week. <br /><br />She never thought of it as mass transit like a subway, but after considering the idea, realized, "it's becoming mass transit for me, unfortunately."</p><p>Magzamen is a freelancer. She didn't know about the tax break, and she doesn't qualify for it. And after a few moments, her views changed. In her mind, it's not in the same category as the subway. She was unsure whether workers should be able to deduct it from their wages. "Is that moral?" she said. "I don't think so."</p><p>"I think they're a direct challenge to our public transportation system," Lucius Riccio, a transportation expert at Columbia University, told Business Insider. He was referring to Uber, as well as competitors like Lyft, and Via, another carpool service. "I do think they're adding more big vehicles to an already congested area."</p><p>Riccio's argument is that while it can benefit riders in fringe areas like Magzamen's, they're often used heavily in areas that are already have public transit alternatives.</p><p>UberPool, for instance, offers $5 rides within most parts of Manhattan during commuting hours. Add in the tax break, and it becomes only marginally more expensive than taking the subway in that area. (The company said it targeted riders on the congested 4-5-6 line for cheap rides.) It's a lot more expensive to use UberPool in the outer boroughs, as my $18 fare brought home.</p><p>But commuting is not a zero-sum game. Some riders could take an UberPool to a closer subway stop, for instance. That could be a boon to some.</p><p>Sarah Kaufman, the assistant director for technology programming at the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation, calls services like UberPool, Lyft, and Via "the next generation of public transit," because they're more dynamic and customizable than, say, buses.</p><p>And there's a class question here. While UberPool tends to transport wealthier smartphone-toting New Yorkers, she said so-called "dollar vans" already transport 100,000 New Yorkers a day. They're a kind of <a href="http://projects.newyorker.com/story/nyc-dollar-vans/">shadow transit system</a> operating in neighborhoods not well served by public transit. Riders pay $2 cash and often use them to get to better subway stops. But even though these vans meet the same IRS criteria as UberPool, these passengers are unlikely to get the tax break.</p><p>"Dollar vans can't take credit cards," she said. "There's no receipt." It's a gray market.</p><p>She said the people who need these kinds of options - and the tax break - are most often the lowest income New Yorkers.</p><h2>What's next? </h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f65c8c9bd9781d008b52c8-2400/img_3132.jpg" alt="IMG_3132.JPG" data-mce-source="Josh Wolff / Business Insider" data-mce-caption="The scenic ride over the Manhattan Bridge." /><p class="source"><span>Josh Wolff / Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">The scenic ride over the Manhattan Bridge.</p></div><p></p></div></div>For now, only WageWorks customers in New York can use pretax dollars to pay for UberPools.</p><p>Dan Neuberger of WageWorks said the company hopes to expand the UberPool benefit across the country "once all the kinks are worked out," he said. Interest in the program has been "significant," though he declined to provide specific figures.</p><p>And he said the company is happy to work with any other rideshare company, such as Lyft or Via, if those companies can prove they can comply with the law and send big enough vehicles.</p><p>Adrian Durbin, a spokesman for Lyft, declined to comment on UberPool or whether Lyft plans a similar pretax service.</p><p>Of course, being first to take advantage of this tax break is the kind of savvy that has helped Uber become the most valuable tech startup in the world, currently pegged at about $66 billion.</p><p>For a city like New York, the question is whether services like UberPool will improve commutes for everyone - perhaps helping people get to a transit stop, or reducing subway crowding - or whether it will create another class of transportation that continues to clog streets.</p><p>Uber is pitching pretax pooled rides as a kind of solution. </p><p>"This furthers our goal of getting more people in fewer cars, while making New Yorkers' daily commute more affordable and efficient," Wing, the spokesman, said. </p><p>But if it turns out that it's competing with subways and buses, transportation advocates could lobby Congress to rewrite the IRS rules.</p><p>As for my ride, it took 45 minutes to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn, a few minutes longer than I'd expect from the subway. For me at least, it's not about to replace my crowded ride underground. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ken-rogoff-harvard-economist-explains-advocating-eliminate-100-bill-2016-10">Ken Rogoff explains why he's been advocating to eliminate the $100 bill</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="1xamphNjE6j9cijVVdXjJy0AC1Y81I8o" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '1xamphNjE6j9cijVVdXjJy0AC1Y81I8o',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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